Walking in the Valley A weekly column for those who live and walk in Silicon Valley by Barbara Dahlgren

A Little (;-"!:'?,) Can Make a Big Difference Column for the week of July 11-17, 2004

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The June edition of the Reader’s Digest listed two examples under a section called Comma-tose to illustrate that “a little comma can cause all sorts of mischief if misused.”

1. Get tips on how to keep yourself safe from Trooper First Class Ronald Yanica of the Maryland State Police. (from the Cumberland Times News in Maryland)
2. Authorities said the robber is a 6-foot tall, white male with a beard weighing approximately 220 pounds. (from the Frederick News-Post)

If you find these statements funny you will love the best-seller entitled Eats, Shoots and Leaves by L ynne Truss. It’s a book about (now brace yourself) punctuation. Yes, I said, “Punctuation!” Who knew that such a book could be so humorous, informative, and popular? The title comes from an old joke, written in its entirety on the back cover.

A panda goes into a café and orders a sandwich. He eats the sandwich, fires a gun in the air and walks towards the door. The confused waiter asks, “Why did you do that?” The panda throws him a badly punctuated book on wildlife and says, “Look it up!” So the waiter does. “Panda. Large black-and-white bear-like mammal, native to China. Eats, shoots and leaves.”

Which goes to show you that one little comma can make a big difference in what something means! A little punctuation here and there can clarify or confuse.

Many people do not know the Bible was originally written with no punctuation. I recall one person who said, “If the King James Version of the Bible was good enough for Jesus, it’s good enough for me.” Ah-hem…King James wasn’t around when Jesus was alive. Neither was our present system of punctuation.

Ms. Truss reminded me of one Biblical passage from Luke 23:43 where comma placement determines a whole doctrine.

When Christ was on the cross speaking to one of the thieves, he made the following statement.

verily i say unto thee this day thou shalt be with me in paradise

One interpretation is “Verily, I say unto thee, This day thou shalt be with me in Paradise.” This could mean the thief would be in heaven with Jesus that very day.

However another interpretation is, “Verily, I say unto thee this day, thou shalt be with me in Paradise.” This version indicates that the “this day” refers to the time that Jesus is speaking. Therefore, there might be a possibility of Purgatory or people remaining dead until a resurrection. There is the argument that even though a person may be physically dead, his spirit would go to heaven with Jesus. So many interpretations, so little or so much punctuation.

How do we know which version is correct? One would have to research what other passages say about the subject and mesh it together. Since those passages don’t have any punctuation either, it can be a little tricky. To add to the confusion, bear in mind, that there were no spaces between words, no paragraphs, chapters or verses. Also, some words just can’t be translated from one language to another without some interpretation. The Bible has several words for “love,” each with a different meaning; we have only one.

Does this mean we can’t understand the Bible? I think God made it possible for us to understand what we need to understand. But just being knowledgeable about the history of punctuation may protect us from getting bent out of shape over some differences of opinion.

And let’s not forget, you’re perspective may determine how would you punctuate and/or interpret sentences. For example, how would you punctuate the following?

Woman without her man is nothing

Men might say, “Woman, without her man, is nothing.”

Women might say, “Woman! Without her, man is nothing.”

Which goes to show you – a little (;-“!:’?,) can make a big difference.

Be sure to visit this page every week to read the next edition of Walking in the Valley. You can write to the author at bdahlgren@wcgsouthbay.org.